Tag Archives: waterfalls

Deena commented that my edited photos look “somewhat” surreal. True. The photos below were taken early in our Alaska tenure, and the surreal landscape is what my photographer’s eye saw.

We drove into snowy peaks above the clouds of mist that seemed to be our constant companion in Alaska. On one hand, the light rain was annoying; on the other, the mist created an atmosphere of mystery and uniqueness that we haven’t felt anywhere else in the world.

The Richardson Highway to Valdez (yes, the one of oil-spill fame) took us over Thompson Pass. This Florida boy just had to get out and photograph his foot in the snow – in the middle of summer! We don’t know other places that have picturesque waterfalls on the side of the road. It’s a good thing they added pull-outs to the road because I wasn’t the only one taking pictures!

Our hike up the ridge over Worthington Glacier, with a challenging vertical rise on a path barely wide enough for a single foot, led us to an amazing view of the glacier. And a reverse view of the beautiful valley where we had parked. (If you look closely you can see the roof of the ranger station.)

With such rugged passes and fog, we can only begin to imagine the life of the hardy pioneers who ventured into Alaska for fame and fortune.

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Driving Alaska, every stretch of road rewards the gaze with another life-affirming landscape. Traveling south on the Richardson Highway from Tok, we saw dark clouds brooding over the increasingly larger mountains of the Wrangells chain. Alaska is a place of incredible mountain vistas, decaying glaciers, swift rivers and crystal lakes. It is a place where ancient gods argue, make love, create destiny, oblivious to us mortals.

(Click on a picture for larger image.)

A Cloud Over the Wrangell Chain

A rain cloud hovers over a foothill of the Wrangells-St Elias Mountains.

Copper River

From Tok, Alaska, the road to McCarthy follows the Copper River and crosses the Chitina River.

Chitina River

From Tok, Alaska, the road to McCarthy follows the Copper River and crosses the Chitina River.

Liberty Falls State Park

A small park set on the side of a mountain is a wonderful place to camp on the Richardson Highway.

Liberty Falls State Park

Morning coffee and yoga on a tent platform beside the rushing stream.

Biome of Wrangells-St Elias National Preserve

On the road to McCarthy Alaska, we spied this swan family in the grasses of the plateau.

Casper the Friendly Ghost

Because Chitina became somewhat of a ghost town when the copper mine closed, someone painted a ghost on his house.

Chitina Ghosts

Once one person painted a ghost on his house, it soon became a "thing" for the town of Chitina.

Chitina Ghosts

The ghost on the side of this food truck wants to know where his grub is!